PART 5 OF 5
The dead! What has happened to them? Are they all right? Will we see them again? These were
questions for which the young believers in Thessalonica were unprepared.
Expecting Jesus' immediate return (Parousia),
they were shocked when some believing friends and family died
before this anticipated event. This turn of events greatly
disturbed them and left them with many nagging questions that they addressed to
Paul (maybe through Timothy): How would the Christian dead fare when
Jesus returned? Would they stand at a disadvantage? Would they miss the blessing of the Parousia? Were they
even 'lost'?
Driving Force
 |
| Charles Spurrgeon |
When we survey the teaching of Darby's Despenstaionalism and those who embrace it, what we read and hear preached revolves around "events" , not the person of Jesus." Jesus is there however , and they are fellow Christians but Jesus is somehow diminished and made simply a participator in a grand cosmic clash between good and evil. It has become an event message not a person message.
As we cited in an earlier installment of this series we mentioned Charles Spurrgeon confronting John Darby regarding how his Theology discounted the vicarious humanity of Jesus and spawned a form of legalism . Darby's followers were, due to a fear of not being a part of the Rapture, always attempting to prove that they were "worthy" to escape the end. They were afraid to simply put it, but we are told in Scripture not to fear, it is the most often repeated admonition in all of Scripture.
"For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind"1Tim:1:7.
Fear is the driving force behind the Rapture; and all of Dispenastional Theology exists to maintain the Rapture belief.
Christians do not have to fear, Jesus has defeated any and all things and the world and all that it spawns. Jesus tells all Christians thru out the ages and even those who live at the end of human civilization.
"do not be afraid for I have defeated the world" John:16:33
Predicting the End
Thur out history many sincere Christians have attempted predictions of the end, and each and every time they have failed. A main feature of Dispenstaionalism is this focus on "events" ; many will ramp up the preaching every time armies march, or rainfall is less then normal, the economies decline or the earth shakes .
When you will not engage in predicting that "the end is nigh" , they will resort to saying that you do not believe the Bible or that you are a "scoffer" not believing that Jesus will return and they will readily quote Peter .
"Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires."2Petr:3:3
This is not the case, we simply do not know when Jesus will return, we have the promise of the Scripture that our Lord will come , we simply do not know how long that will be be, it does not matter in one way for no matter how much time we have or do not have our mission and commission is to preach the Gospel in all the world, that is , Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God who has saved us all; if it will but be freely received.
"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."Mk:16:15
What of the Dead?
1) The state of the
dead
Paul begins his answer
with two negative assertions: *We do not want you to be ignorant
about those who fall asleep* (13a)
and, *we do not want you...to grieve like
the rest of men, who have no hope* (13b). Note that Paul does not
forbid Christians to grieve. Mourning is natural, even for a while
emotionally necessary. Though when we mourn a
Christian's death we do so in joyful awareness of Christ's
decisive victory over death. We nevertheless
mourn with personal sorrow--just as Jesus did for his friend Lazarus.
But our mourning is not *like
the rest of men [non-believers], who have no hope*. Christians
grieve, but as ones with a sure hope.
That hope is grounded in an understanding of the state
(condition) of the Christian dead.
Concerning that state, Paul refers
to the dead as 'asleep.' Did
Paul believe in "soul sleep" (the idea that the dead are
unconsciousness)?
Note first that 'sleep' is used as
a euphemistic metaphor for death in many cultures. This is because in death the body is
motionless as during sleep.
Secondly, the Old Testament sees death as rest from
labor, as in the case of certain patriarchs and kings who 'slept with their fathers' (see also Rev.14:13). It is in this context that the book of
Ecclesiastes proclaims that *the dead know
nothing* (9:5). From the perspective of earth ("under
the sun"), it appears that the dead are completely unaware.
Thirdly, the New Testament (which alone provides the full and
final revelation concerning death and the afterlife) speaks of death
as "sleep" to express
that death is only temporary (John.11:11; Mk. 5:39; 1 Cor.15:20).
As sleep is followed by awakening, so death is followed by
resurrection. Our conclusion then is that the Bible refers to death as 'sleep' because a human
corpse (body) lies in the grave
still, at rest, and awaiting a future resurrection of that
body.
But do these
metaphorical allusions concerning the dead body demand
that we limit our understanding of the condition of the human
soul (spirit) during the interim period between death (the
Intermediate State) and resurrection to that of
unconsciousness? First we should note
that the answer is not a matter of core Christian
doctrine. But having said that, we should also understand that
the consistent teaching of the vast majority of Christians through
the ages has been against "soul sleep" (the view that the soul
[spirit] of man in the interim state is unconscious). For
example, John Calvin wrote concerning this verse: 'The reference
[concerning being asleep]...is not to the soul but to the body, for the dead
body rests in the tomb as on a bed, until God raises the person up.'
We of course, look to Scripture,
not Calvin, for authoritative instruction. But we should be
aware of what the Spirit has taught the church through the ages. And
we should carefully examine Scripture, giving priority to the final and
more complete revelation (the New Testament).
When we do here's what we learn: Jesus' references to what
happens after death suggest a conscious awareness of bliss or pain (Lk.16:19ff.; 23:43).
Moreover, Paul, apparently relying on Jesus' teaching, notes
that for him life meant 'Christ' and death in Christ meant 'gain'.
How could Paul regard death as
'gain', and better than this life 'by far', if he viewed
the intermediate state as one of
unconsciousness? Paul clearly believed
that death would bring him a closer, richer, fuller
experience of Christ than he was already enjoying on earth (Phil.1:21-23; cf.2 Cor.5:8).
Summing up this point, we
note that all descriptions in Scripture concerning the state of the
dead are 'evocative' in nature--they are metaphorical and symbolic not
'technical', precise, 'literal' descriptions of
reality. Moreover, Scripture
tells us far less about such
things than some try to make of what it does say. We must,
therefore, approach the issue with reserve and humility. As a
result, in Grace Communion we are not dogmatic on
this non-core issue because Scripture is less than dogmatic.
We note, however, that the preponderance of the Scriptural
evidence suggests that during the 'intermediate state' (the time between
the death of the body and its resurrection on the last day), the human
spirit is consciously aware.
What we say is; is that regardless of the timing and the mechanics ,whether immediately at death or at a future resurrection whereby we enter into Heaven, the Kingdom of God, the Eternal State, however you want to refer to it as, the main point is this, that the afterlife , the salvation promised to us in the Holy Bible is made reality by Jesus Christ alone and by no other way.
The spirits of those who have
embraced Christ experience conscious joy in the presence of their Savior
or as some Theologians believe they are in a place called “Paradise”, which is thought by some to be a waiting state or
“place”
until the Resurrection. And the spirits of those who have rejected
Christ experience conscious fear awaiting future judgment.
Perhaps some
who have neither embraced nor rejected Christ at the death of the body are in
a 'neutral' state/place waiting a time of future choice. Or perhaps they are given that choice
during the process of the body dying. Scripture simply does not give
us the details.
2) Three reassuring
beliefs
Back to Paul's main concern: what
is the Christian hope for those who have died in Christ, which does not
eliminate mourning altogether, but which comforts and fortifies us in the midst
of grief? This hope rests not
in perfect understanding of the state of the dead but in the
sure knowledge of *the
coming of the Lord* (15)--the King's
visible return in glory which will bring about the reuniting of all
Christians (both dead and alive).
This is a source of hope and
comfort because the 'sting' of death is largely due to the
separation which death seems to cause--both separation from Christ,
since the dead in Christ have died before he comes, and separation from
those who survive them.
It is these two bitter separations
which the apostle solemnly assures his readers are neither real nor
permanent. For the dead in Christ are (by implication) now with
Jesus, and will come with Jesus when he returns and will thus not precede (in
being reunited with Christ) those who will see Jesus when he returns.
Paul expresses his assurance in these beliefs
in a 'creed' with three related clauses:
a) Concerning Christ: *Jesus died and rose again*. This is the heart and core
of the gospel which the apostles preached and which the church believes. Christ 'died
for us' (5:10), in order to deal
with our sins and so secure our 'salvation' (5:9). But he did not remain in death; he rose again, which implies that he triumphed over it.
b) Concerning the
Christian dead:
*God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him*. For
Paul, the death and the resurrection of believers is interconnected (e.g. Rom.6:4-10; 2 Cor.4:14). If God did not abandon Jesus to death, he
will not abandon the Christian dead either.
On the contrary, he will raise them as he raised him, and he will bring
them with him, so that when he comes, they will come too.
c) Concerning the
Christian living:
*We who are still alive, who are left
till the coming of the Lord, will
certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep*.
According to the Lord's own word' (perhaps a saying of Jesus not recorded
elsewhere?), neither the Christian dead nor the Christian living will miss
out on the glory to be revealed at Jesus' Parousia. Furthermore, neither group will take
precedence over, nor have the advantage over the other.
In particular, there is no possibility that
the Christian dead (about whom the Thessalonians were anxious) will be
separated either from Christ (for they will come with him) or from the
Christian living (for they will be joined by them). Paul's emphasis
here is on the unbreakable solidarity which the people of Christ enjoy
with him and with each other, and which death is utterly unable to destroy (Cf. Rom.8:35-39).
3) Four
great events
Having
outlined the Christian creed in relation to Christ, the Christian dead and the
Christian living, Paul goes on to make four positive affirmations, relating to
four great eschatological events: the return, the resurrection, the rapture and
the reunion:
a) The return: *The Lord himself will come down from heaven*
(4:16a). We note that it is *the Lord himself* who will 'descend' (RSV), not one of his deputies or
representatives. The Parousia will
be a personal coming, a visit in person, of *the Lord*, that is, Jesus.
Accompanying his return there will be a universal, authoritative, divine
proclamation which presumably will both announce the end and summon the dead to
rise. As at creation God 'spoke and it came to be' (Ps.33:9), and as at the tomb Jesus
called in a loud voice 'Lazarus, come out!'
and he came out (Jn.11:43-44), so on
the last day the dead will hear the creative, commanding voice of God and will
obey (Jn.5:25-28). JBP captures the drama well: 'One word of
command, one shout from the archangel, one blast from the trumpet of God and
the Lord himself will come down from Heaven!'
We are probably not meant to
imagine three distinct noises (the *command*, the *voice* and the *trumpet*)
but rather to understand the variety and repetition as indicating the
overwhelming, irresistible nature of the summons.
b) The resurrection: *And the dead in Christ will rise first*
(4:16b). Already in verse 14 Paul has assured the Thessalonians that when Jesus comes God will
bring the Christian dead with him. But he did not explain how or in what form
they would accompany him, although the reference to Jesus dying and rising gave
us a clear hint. Now, however, Paul is explicit in supplying the missing
information. Their resurrection will
precede their coming. *The dead in Christ
will rise first*. This sequence is
appropriate. Since the Christ who comes
will be the Christ who himself *died and
rose again* (14), so those who
have died in him will now rise with him, and the resurrected Christ will be
accompanied at his coming by his resurrected people (Cf. 1 Cor,15:20-23).
Again we observe the gist of Paul's argument. There is no possibility that those who have
died in Christ will ever be separated from Christ. They died 'through'
him (14); they sleep 'in' him (16); they will rise 'with' him; and
they will come 'with' him too (14). Christ and his people belong to each other
inseparably and indissolubly.
c)
The rapture:
*We who are still alive...will be caught
up...* (17). 'Caught
up' is translated in the Latin Bible by the word *rapere* from which we
get the English word 'rapture.'
The Greek word is 'harpazo' which expresses
suddenness and violence. Those still alive at the Parousia will be
raptured--'caught up' (NIV), 'swept up' (JBP) or 'snatched up' *together with them in the clouds*.
The
parallel between verse 15b and verse
17 is impressive. According to verse 15b 'we who are still alive, who are left...' will not precede the
Christian dead. According to verse 17 'we who are still alive and are
left' will be caught up together with them.
The negative and the positive statements dovetail. So far from forestalling them, we shall join
them. The purpose of this sudden, violent action will be not only to unite
the Christian living with the Christian dead (*together with them*), but also to unite them with Christ (*to meet the Lord*).
Once more Paul's concern is
revealed, namely that the living, the dead and the Lord will be together. The truth that the redeemed will *meet the
Lord* is expressed by another technical term (*apantesis*).
When a dignitary paid an official visit
(*Parousia*) to a city in Hellenistic times, the action of the leading citizens
in going out to meet him and escort him back on the final stage of his journey
was called the *apantesis*.
Many details of this heavenly
'meeting' are omitted. For example there
is no reference in verse 17 to the
Christian living being 'changed' (as in 1
Cor.15:51-52), any more than there was in verse 14 to the Christian dead being 'raised'. Both are assumed. Further, it is not clear how literally we are
to understand our being *caught up...in the clouds*.
We know from Jesus himself that his coming
will be personal, visible and glorious, but we also know from him that it will
not be local ('There he is!' 'Here he is') but universal ('like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other', Lk.17:23-24). Presumably,
therefore, our going to meet him will also transcend space.
As
for *the clouds*, they are a biblical symbol of the immediate presence of God -
at the Exodus (Ex.13:21; 14:19), on
Mount Sinai (Ex.19:16; 24:15),
filling the tabernacle (Ex.40:34-35), during the wilderness wanderings (Ex.40:36-38), at the transfiguration of
Jesus (Mk.9:7), at his ascension (Acts 1:9), and at his glorious
appearing (Dn.7:13; Mk.13:26; 14:62;
Rev.1:7). The reference to *the air* may be equally symbolic, for it was
thought of as the dwelling-place of the devil and his demons (Cf. Eph.2:2). The fact that the Lord
chooses to meet his saints there, on the demons' home ground so to speak, shows
something of his complete mastery over them. *From Stott’s Study
Unfortunately, what many
Christians take from this passage is a lot of speculative views about
the timing & mechanics of the rapture. This speculation is
popularized in the "Left Behind" book
series which says that in the rapture, Christians will be
"caught up" into heaven for seven years while the tribulation is
occurring on earth. Those not raptured are "left
behind" to suffer the tribulation. It's clear that this is not
what Paul is saying. He would probably
be surprised to learn what some read into this verse. His goal is to
offer encouragement (v.18), not to
send people into speculation.
d)
The reunion: Having been caught up to *meet the Lord*, we
shall now *be with the Lord* for ever.
The momentary encounter will lead to an everlasting fellowship. Thus the descending Lord and the ascending
saints, heaven and earth, will be united.
For this is Paul's theme. The
Christian dead (about whom the Thessalonians were worrying) will be separated
neither from Christ (since God will bring them *with him*, 14) nor from the Christian living (who will be caught up *with
them*, 17a). On the contrary we will all be always *with the Lord* (17b).
Note this threefold repetition of the preposition 'together
with'. This is the ultimate reunion, ‘our being gathered to him', to which the
apostle will allude in his second letter (2
Thess. 2:1).
Put together, Paul's
teaching causes us to eagerly hope for a great cosmic event
which will include the personal, visible appearing of Jesus Christ and the
gathering to him of all his people, whether dead or alive at the time.
Therefore, says Paul, *encourage each other with these words* (4:18). This is to comfort and
sustains the bereaved. And note that 'these words' do not concern
lots of wild speculation--they simply remind Christians of what is sure in the
future of their departed loved ones who know Christ.
When the Dead Rise
At the Tomb of Lazarus Jesus said
“Your Brother will Rise again” and
Martha said “I know that he will rise
again in the resurrection at the last day” John: 11:23-24
When is this last day
resurrection? This is really the crux of
the whole matter, for it is this day that believers, alive and dead, are all
joined together with Jesus. Jesus said “because the time is coming when all who are
in the graves will hear His voice, and come out- those who have done good
things, to the resurrection of Life, but those who have done wicked, the
Resurrection of Judgment” John:5:28-29. Jesus seems to referencing the
Resurrection pictured in Daniel:
12:2-3, “Many who seep in the
dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to eternal
contempt. Those who are wise will shine
like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to
righteousness, like the stars of Heaven”
Paul talks about this change that believers, those who
are resurrected from the grave and those who are alive at the coming of Jesus
will experience 1Crth:15:35-46. Resurrection is Paul subject; he is
addressing questions that the Christians at Corinth had forwarded to him much
as the Christians at Thessalonica did.
Thessalonians says that a changes occurs for Christians, alive and
dead. Paul writes this to encourage the
church who had concerns about dead friends and relatives- 1Thess:4:13- those who
are asleep.
Vs. 15- “We who are alive at the Lord’s coming”
Vs. 16- The Lord Himself will descend……..with the Trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first- it
at the Trumpet blast that this occurs
Vs. 17- Then those alive will be caught up to meet the Lord
Which Trumpet and When does it Sound?
Paul talks about this
Trumpet in conjunction with the Resurrection. It is at the Trumpet blast that this changes
occurs for the living and the dead Christians.
1 Cor: 15:51-
“WE will not all fall asleep, but we will
all be changed, in a moment and twinkling of the eye”……’at the last Trumpet. For
the Trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible…and we will be
changed”. It is saying that at the last Trumpet Christ descends and
the Christians alive and dead are changed.
An outline of the Blowing the Seven Trumpets is found in Revelation, starting at Rev: 8:6-13, Rev: 9:1-21; Rev: 11:15-19. It is
at the Seventh Trumpet which is “the Last
Trumpet” of Rev: 11: 15 that God’s Kingdom is announced. This conforms to the Historic view of the
Church and it conforms to what the Post-Apostolic writers of the church taught
- the rapture inserts an 8th Trumpet that is never spoken of in
conjunction with the Resurrection.
Matt: 24:29-31-
After the Tribulation
Mark: 13:24-26-
After the Tribulation
Luke: 21:25-
When you see these signs in Sun and Moon, then Son of Man comes then Redemption
is near
These verse all indicate that this
gathering of the elect occurs After
the Tribulation. Jesus Himself never
hinted at an invisible coming for His people at the sound of a silent Trumpet.
As objectively as this subject can
be viewed, it still finds difficulty in seeing the Rapture in the face value and in context reading of the
Word of God.
In the end our Lord Jesus Christ will come he will descend from the heavens and the reign of God will be extended over all things, we will all be gathered together with him and one another for all eternity , all pain and suffering will have been gone and all and any of our differences will have faded away and be lost and forgotten , we find our unity in Jesus Christ. for those who embrace the Rapture there may be no Lift off, but for those who believe in Jesus there will be no let down.Amen
Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
The
Fountain of Life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion
2101 Old National Pike.
2101 Old National Pike.
Washington,
Pennsylvania. www.gcfountainoflife.org
The
Fountain of Life is heard on the RKP Radio Network 1710 and 1670 AM in
Washington and North Franklin ,and 1790 AM in the Arden Fair Grounds area
of Washington Pennsylvania, and on 1710 AM in Bentleyville and Monongahela,
Pennsylvania. And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com
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